In Cold Blood
by Khepri
Summary: AU The search for the Shikon no Tama -a jewel to rival the Hope Diamond- brings Naraku to kill 2 FBI agents. But he made a mistake. An agent's daughter, Sango, survived the attack and she made a vow of revenge. Is what she may lose worth it? MS IK SK KA
1. Beating Heart

**Author's Note:** Are you guys as excited for this story as I am? Oh yeah, definitely. –ahem- There are a few things I need to clarify before I start my story.

1) I don't own InuYasha and co.

2) The demons in this story are only faster, stronger and harder to kill (basically super-humans) and they don't have "powers" like Sesshoumaru's Toxic Flower Claw or anything like that.

3) It's an AU fic. Deal with it.

4) Parings are: Sango/Miroku, Kagome/InuYasha, Kouga/Ayame, Sesshoumaru/Kagura

I don't want to give anything more away, so you'll just have to read (and leave reviews) if you want me to continue this. I've got the whole thing plotted out in my head. This chapter is actually more of an introduction than anything else, but deal with it.

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12:56.

Exactly four minutes, and the senior class of 2004 would be free forever. This was the very last day of highschool that they would ever have in their lives. In exactly four minutes, they would have absolutely nothing to do for an entire summer and they would never, ever, have to see this school again. In four minutes, they would be free.

InuYasha sat slumped in his desk, his chin in his hands as he stared at the clock, trying to will the hands to move faster. He could have sworn that time was slowing down just to spite him.

"InuYasha? InuYasha, are you listening to me?" Kagome flicked a scrap of paper at the hanyou who didn't even blink when it hit him square on the nose.

"He's not listening," Miroku pointed out as he leaned back in his chair. "He's more focused on the clock than he's ever been in class."

Sango laughed, shaking her head and watching her friends from the corner of her eye. The rest of her attention was focused on her sketchbook as she doodled something in its pages. Her arms were bent around it, hiding it from view from everyone, and her head was hanging over it in concentration.

Bringing his chair back down with a small thud, Miroku leaned forward curiously. "What are you doing, Sango?"

"Nothing."

"Looks pretty secretive to be nothing."

She shut her notebook quickly before he could grab it and set her forearms on it heavily. "It's nothing."

"Then let me see it."

"No!"

A small tug of war followed between the two of them as Miroku grabbed one end of the notebook and tried to pull it away from Sango who retaliated by kicking him in the shins and pulling it back.

"Ow!"

"Let go!"

"Why? What's so important?"

"Kazaana! Taijiya! What's going on?" Their teacher, who had given up trying to get his class to focus long ago, crossed the room towards them and looked accusingly down at the two who tried to look innocent even as he glared at them.

"Nothing, sir. It's just that Sango took my notebook and I-"

"You liar! It's my notebook! Let go!"

Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Sado looked at the black sketchbook with Sango's name scrawled on the cover in whiteout. "Kazaana, unless your first name is Sango, I believe that this is Taijiya's notebook."

Miroku looked at it and then gave his teacher a forced smile as he let go of the notebook. Mr. Sado shook his head and walked back to his desk, mumbling something about migraines under his breath.

"So, do you think Ayame's going to have any last pranks before school's out for good?" Sango asked, breaking the silence that settled over the group.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh as she smoothed down her skirt at the thought of what the energetic wolf youkai would have planned. "Sango, I don't think that she'd even dream of missing the opportunity."

"Think it'll be better than the time she let bats loose in the air vents?"

"That? Psh, that was nothing."

There was no doubt that the wolf would have something planned. After all, ever since she transferred to their school in the middle of sophomore year, hardly a day had gone by when the girl hadn't been planning something. Kouga had taken an instant liking to her - finally leaving Kagome alone - and with him and the rest of his posse wrapped around her finger, Ayame had had the run of the school.

The magenta eyed girl nodded in agreement and then knit her eyebrows together for a moment. "Ayame's having that party or whatever this evening. Are you going?"

"Sure, why not?" Kagome answered, shrugging a shoulder as she glanced over at InuYasha and decided that he was hopelessly lost in concentration.

"I dunno."

"Sango, it'll be fun. They're all friends so what's the problem?"

Miroku cleared his throat and leaned towards Kagome confidentially, whispering in a stage whisper, "Think it'll kill her to break away from the dojo for a night?"

"Shut up, Kazaana," Sango replied automatically and without missing a beat turned to the other girl. "So you think I should go?"

Kagome nodded while Miroku allowed a sly grin to twitch in the corners of his mouth.

"A party, eh? With lots of girls?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

Miroku continued to grin over at Sango just as the intercom buzzed and the students who weren't staring at the clock like InuYasha or immersed in conversation glanced over at it, expecting their principal to have several last words to say to them.

Ayame's voice, however, was what could be heard once the buzzing ceased.

"Hey, class of 2004, this is Ayame speaking. Make good choices, be smart, remember that someone loves you and gather 'round the front doors. We have a lovely surprise for you all."

It buzzed again and a few random swear words and other things could be heard, as well as their principal's name before the redhead's voice came on once more.

"Have a great summer!" she shouted, clicking it off just as the faint angry voice of their principal could be heard in the background.

"What was that all about?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Guess Ayame has something planned after all." The magenta eyed girl slapped Miroku's hand away as he reached for her notebook once more. "Lemme alone, pervert!"

"Sango, if I ask nicely, could I see your notebook?" Miroku asked sweetly, in a way that would make almost any other girl melt in a fit of giggles.

"No," Sango replied, not at all fazed by him.

"Whyyy?"

"Because my drawing isn't finished, that's why."

"So, when it's finished, could I -"

_Brrrrriiing!_

InuYasha positively leapt out of his seat the moment the bell rang and grabbed his backpack as he darted out the door. "YES! I'M A FREE MAN!"

"InuYasha!" Kagome shouted after him, grabbing her own bag and running after him. "Get back here!"

The other two exchanged a look in which Miroku shrugged and Sango slipped her notebook into her backpack before standing.

"Hey, Sango!" he called after her as she walked out of the room.

"Yeah?"

His lips twitched up in a genuine smile. "Happy graduation."

The girl's stomach flipped and she felt the beginnings of a blush on her cheeks. Embarrassed, she turned away and continued walking down the hall. "Th-thanks."

][

"Hey seniors!" Ayame's loud voice could probably be heard several blocks away as she shouted into the megaphone.

Several wolves stood by the main doors, handing can after can of silly string to the senior class as they exited the building. InuYasha looked at it curiously and then at Kagome who merely shrugged and continued walking down the stairs.

"Class of 2004, we did it!" the redhead shouted once more, getting a cheer from her fellow classmates. "Let's leave our mark on the underclassmen, shall we?"

Another cheer followed and the girl pumped a fist enthusiastically in the air before being hoisted onto Ginta and Hakkaku's shoulders. A mischievous grin split her face in two as she cleared her throat and looked over at the main doors expectantly.

A dark haired wolf gave her the thumb's up and tossed something that looked suspiciously like spray paint to one of his buddies. Seconds later, the front doors were pushed open by several underclassmen as the exited. With looks as confused as Ayame and her wolves' were devious, they piled out of the doors and stood on the steps, looking around at the seniors that surrounded them both on the steps and on the lawn.

"STRING THEM!!"

The megaphone was hardly needed as all of the seniors got the same idea at once. In one movement, the entire class had whipped off the covers of their silly string cans and began stringing the life out of the underclassmen as the exited the building and then tried to run for safety across the lawn.

Ayame's loud laughter could be heard, ringing amplified among the shrieks, screams, and shouts of triumph. This might have not been her most risky or creative prank, but it definitely was the most fun and involved one so far.

The wolves that stood on the steps nodded to each other and then shook their cans of spray paint before using them on the building's walls and front doors. This was a senior class that would be remembered.

"2004, you kick ass!" she shouted as the freshmen, sophomores and juniors finally began escaping from the seniors' grasp and ran for their buses, cars or other modes of transportation.

"Well, that was exciting," Kagome said as she picked some silly string out of her hair and looked around to take in the damage.

"Feh." Her hanyou companion wrinkled his nose and then shook his can, eyes glittering when he found that it wasn't quite empty yet. "Hmmm..."

Kagome's eyes widened as he looked over at her and she ran off. He, of course, gave chase and caught up with her pretty quickly.

"Hah! Now it's fun!"

"InuYasha, you jerk!!"

As the noise on the front lawn began dying down, the roar of a motorcycle could be heard approaching. Several girls squealed and shrieked at the same time, "Kouga!"

The dark haired wolf brought his motorcycle to an abrupt halt at the curb in front of them and tossed his ponytail over his shoulder. "Hello, girls."

"Kouga!" Ayame shouted happily into the megaphone. At his wince, she made an apologetic face and pulled it away from her mouth.

He closed his eyes and then gently touched an ear with his hand before dismounting his motorcycle. "Don't do that again, Ayame."

Ayame jumped down from Ginta and Hakkaku's shoulders and handed one of them the megaphone with a broad grin.

"That, I think, was a complete success," she commented, green eyes traveling across the silly string covered lawn and the graffitied walls of the school along with the words "'O4 forever" written across the front doors.

"Well, well, well, Ayame. What did you do this time?"

The red-head looked over her shoulder at Kouga and gave him a broad grin. "Do you like it? I think that I have a future being a delinquent."

He shook his head, walking over to her and ignoring the girls he brushed past who ran over to his motorcycle and began fawning over it.

"Isn't it so cool?"

"Guys on motorcycles are so sexy."

"Think I could get a ride with him sometime?"

"Not until I do!!"

He smirked at Ayame who put her hands on her hips and said in mock accusation, "You abandoned me in seventh hour."

"Sorry, but the last day was made for ditching."

"And the rest of the year?"

Kouga just gave her another cocky smirk. "They're practice."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a solid punch in the shoulder.

"Ayame!" called a voice somewhere behind the redheaded wolf.

Looking over her shoulder, Ayame threw Sango a smile and waved in her direction. "What up, Sango?"

"Are you still throwing an end of the year party at Kouga's?" she asked, giving Kouga an acknowledging nod before looking back at the other girl. Sango really wasn't one for parties, but except for Kagome, Ayame probably was her closest girl friend in school and even Sango could celebrate the end of a very stressful year. And Kagome had talked her into it.

"Are you kidding? Of course."

"That InuYasha isn't coming, is he?" Kouga growled, narrowing his eyes.

Ayame hit him lightly once more. "Kouga, be nice. InuYasha's coming too."

He growled once more and was about to say something before the light glare Ayame gave him turned into something more like a broken hearted pout.

"... Fine," he caved in at last. "Stop looking at me like that."

The red-head gave him a smile and took him by the arm, leading him towards his motorcycle. "Let's go."

The girls instantly looked up from the motorcycle and backed away, each of them giving Kouga a flutter of their lashes. He swung a leg over his motorcycle and smirked at them, revving his bike as Ayame climbed on behind him.

"Sango! Eight o'clock!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and waved to the other girl before locking her arms around Kouga's waist.

"We'll be there," Sango called after them as they sped off, weaving through the traffic. "That wolf had a need for speed."

][

7:12

Sango pulled a shirt out of her dresser, eyeing the glowing numbers on her clock. A light knocking sounded against her door.

"Come in, Kohaku," she said, looking back down at her drawers and digging through them for another pair of jeans.

"Hey, Sis, Shippou's coming over later."

"I know."

"We wanted to watch the Ring so... you know, no pranks?"

Sango laughed, stepping away from her wood dresser and raised an eyebrow at him. "So I shouldn't hide behind the couch and start kicking like you did in the middle of the Exorcist last time Kagome was over?"

Her younger brother grinned cheekily. "That was pretty good, wasn't it?"

She just rolled her eyes and turned her back to him before yanking her tank top over her head and untwisting one of her bra straps.

"Kohaku, I'm not even going to be home. Ayame and Kouga are having some sort of end of the year party and I'm getting a ride there from Miroku."

"You trust him enough to ride in the car with him?" her younger brother asked, well aware his groping tendencies.

"Kagome and InuYasha are going to be there too." Sango slipped into the t-shirt she had pulled out earlier before turning to face her brother once more.

"I know Dad's going to want to know when he gets back, so, when are you coming home?"

She shrugged one shoulder, and then made a face. "Maybe midnight?"

"I didn't know you were such a party animal, sis," Kohaku said.

Sango just rolled her eyes and scrunched up her tank top before throwing it at her brother. He dodged it and stuck out his tongue before disappearing to another part of the house.

A car horn suddenly sounded outside her window and she thought that she heard someone calling her name. Draping her extra pair of jeans over her arm, she opened her window and leaned out of it.

"Sango, hurry up!"

"You're early... and alone," Sango called back, the pitch of her voice going higher when she pointed out the last fact.

Miroku grinned up at her; an arm casually bent around one of the seats of his convertible as he slouched behind the wheel. "InuYasha called. I have to pick him up at his brother's house. You're on the way."

"You mean out of the way," she muttered to herself before letting out a sigh and calling down, "What about Kagome?"

"She's there already."

"Alright, fine. I just need a minute."

Miroku nodded as Sango closed her window and the drapes. Convinced that no Peeping Toms would be able to watch her, she changed her jeans, cursing Ayame's graffiti-ing friends under her breath. Did she look like a wall? No! So how did her jeans and tank top get that junk on them?

Sango grabbed a small purse, nothing fancy, just something to put her wallet and phone in incase she needed to call someone or her father wanted to call her when he got home to make sure that she was alright. Swinging it over her shoulder, she ran down the steps before Miroku would start honking at her again and make the neighbors run out and kill him.

"Bye Kohaku!" She hesitated at the front door, self-consciously running a hand through the hair that she hadn't gotten a chance to brush out. "Love you!"

"Bye, Sis!" shouted Kohaku's voice over the Tv in the living room. His sister smiled before leaving the house and locking the door behind her.

Miroku glanced in her direction, turning his car back on while she jogged over to it and hopped in over the door.

"Next time you come early, at least let me know. I could have been half-dressed when you started honking," Sango said, buckling herself in.

"Then I'll be sure not to call."

"Pervert!"

He beamed over at her, purple eyes glittering as he switched on the radio and pulled away from the curb. "Would I be one to disappoint you?"

Sango couldn't help but blush slightly as she turned away from him, resting an elbow on the door and her chin lightly on her fist. If her hair had been messy before, it would really be something else by the time they got anywhere. If she were lucky, Kagome or Ayame would have a brush she could use.

The two spoke little on the way to what InuYasha called in mock sincerity "the Western Lands" because of its distance from the city and because, well, it was to the west. The radio continued blaring songs from various bands and artists and Sango found herself lost in a mush between Evanescence, Avril Lavinge and Korn among other musicians that she couldn't catch the name of.

"Finally," Miroku muttered about half an hour later as he pulled into the circular driveway that lead to and from the main door of Sesshoumaru's mansion. Never having been to the Western Lands before, Sango's eyebrows shot up and she let out a low whistle.

"InuYasha's brother lives here?"

"Half-brother," Miroku corrected automatically.

"Who died and made him king?"

Shrugging a careless shoulder, Miroku's eyes flickered to the clock on his dashboard. 7:43. Hopefully Ayame would find it in her to forgive them for being late. Before he could honk to attract the attention of InuYasha, and probably trigger some expensive, high-tech alarm system, the hanyou himself stormed out of the mansion, Kagome following with two steps to his one.

"InuYasha, relax!"

"Stupid bastard. Can't be in the same room as him before he insults me."

"You weren't exactly being nice either!"

"All I did was mention his bitch of a girlfriend."

"Then don't mention her anymore."

"Are we interrupting something?" Sango asked, raising an eyebrow at InuYasha who looked ready to breathe fire and Kagome who was hopelessly trying to calm him down.

"No, it's a good thing you came when you did," she replied, sliding into the car after InuYasha and belting herself in.

"Feh."

Kagome made a face and then leaned forwards, grinning over at Sango. "So, how was the ride here?"

The girl's cheeks flushed slightly at her friend's suggestive tone and she flipped the radio back on while Miroku chuckled and pulled away from the mansion.

"Oh, Kagome, wouldn't you like to know," he chuckled, winking at her.

"Pervert!" came Sango's distressed voice as she smacked him.

"Ow! Not when I'm driving!"

][

"8:11."

"That leaves you how much time?"

"Four hours and 49 minutes."

"So you have ample time to review all the information you have collected?"

"Yes."

A pause, then the second voice spoke once more. "Kagura, do I sense hesitation on your part?"

The woman looked away, at the stack of papers on the desk behind her and when she spoke, her attention was anywhere else but on the man speaking to her. "I feel like something will go wrong."

"If you are feeling reluctant to do this mission for me, I am sure there are others who would… feel the pain of your weakness."

She tensed, shooting all her attention back on him in a moment. "This will go as planned, Naraku."

He smiled, chuckling darkly to himself before raising a hand to dismiss her. Without needing a second beckoning, Kagura turned, picked up the heavy stack of papers, and walked out of the room.

"Kagura," he said, voice stopping her just as she was about to reach the door. "Do not fail me."

Taking a slow breath, the youkai nodded stiffly and left the room. She headed down an intricate, almost maze-like hallway, ignoring the snippets of conversation from other demons in Naraku's ring of crime she heard from the various rooms she passed. They were not her problem.

She opened a small door, letting herself into a crowded room that served for both her bedroom and work area. Shoving some clothes onto the floor, she dropped the papers onto the bed and sat beside them, legs crossed.

"April 16th, 2004," she read in a murmur from the newspaper article on top of the pile. "Destruction of FBI headquarters baffles all."

Her red eyes scanned the rest of the article quickly for she had read it before and didn't need to thoroughly examine it once again.

_It is impossible to determine the motive for this action. Firefighters blame a short circuit for the fire, but a small circuit-destroying box found at the scene rules out the possibility for this to have been an accident. However, when paramedics arrived, they were unable to find any casualties._

_"This was a very well planned attack," said the fire chief, an elderly man by the name of Toutousai. "The fire originated in the south wing where it was contained by the arsonist to allow for maximum damage in that area before being allowed to spread._"

_The head of the Department of Control of Demonic Artifacts, known more casually as the Demon Slayers Uni, - called Mr. X to preserve his identity - had several thoughts to share._

_"We have seen this sort of arson before," he admitted. "We have begun calling the culprits the "Thunder Brothers" because of their use of electrical wires in starting the fires."_

_Mr. X also cast rumors of a connection between the "Thunder Brothers" and the youkai, Naraku, aside._

_"The public would like to believe that Naraku and the Thunder Brothers are working together for some reason, but there is no proof for that. In fact, there is no proof that anyone - even the Thunder Brothers - was behind this feat."_

_When presented with the fact that it would be nearly impossible for someone without a tremendous amount of help to break into the FBI headquarters and burn it to the ground, Mr. X made no comment._

Kagura tossed the article to the side, not caring to read about the extent of the damage or rumors of what had happened. She knew exactly what had happened. Naraku had sent the Thunder Brothers to burn down the headquarters, targeting the Department of Control of Demonic Artifacts. He wanted to make sure that, when the expensive and rumored to be powerful Shikon no Tama was brought to the FBI along with a handful of other artifacts, the headquarters would be obliterated.

It was so much easier to steal from private homes rather than an agency.

"Kikyou Higurashi," muttered Kagura as she flipped through one of the files that Hiten had taken from the agency before it went up in flames. "29, new partner of Taijiya, fond of a weapon she calls "Sacred Arrow", working with the feds for three and a half years."

The youkai twirled a small fan around her fingers, a habit she had for distracting herself when in a stressful situation. It only worked so well. Suddenly unable to control herself, the black haired demon threw all the papers from her bed, causing them to flutter across the room before landing. Burying her face in her pillow, she shrieked at the top of her lungs in an attempt to somehow get her frustration out. All she had to do was take the Shikon no Tama from the Taijiya residence and kill all who opposed her. She had read the files, newspaper articles, everything she could get her hands on for months before now. She knew what she had to do. What she was supposed to do.

Slowly she sat up, a hand fisted over where she used to be able to feel the steady beating of her heart. She couldn't risk failure. It wouldn't only cost her her life but...

It didn't matter. Her life she could give up, but she just couldn't risk the life of someone who shouldn't have even been involved. Taking a slow breath to regain her composure, she picked the scattered papers off the floor and began reading through them yet again.


	2. First Bloodshed

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dedicated to my lovely friend, FluffyLemonn, who harassed me via e-mail, telephone and AIM to hurry up and finish. And I've also decided to up the rating on my story as there's a bit of gore in this chapter and I don't want to get in trouble for underrating my stories. And now, finally, some romance/fluff, lotsa action and even more foreshadowing and character development. Hoo hah!

_Aamalie:_ Thanks so much for reviewing. I know – or at least think – that you're big on Sango/Miroku action, so I put some in to please you, but the majority of Sango/Miroku stuff won't be happening until the next chapter and so on. And sorry that it took me a while to update.

_FluffyLemonn:_ Now that you've actually read it, can you say that it's good with the same confidence? Oh, and all the Yura action is for you, lover, and the fact that you thought that Kouga needed more fangirls.

**Disclaimer:** I own InuYasha. –crickets chirp- Just kidding! Jeez, why the hell would I be writing fanfiction if I owned InuYasha? I'd be out there writing some kick ass Sango/Miroku and Kagura/Sesshoumaru episodes!

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"-And that one time when we strung the freshmen's gym shorts around the cafeteria?"

"What about when we took over prom?"

"I think the confetti fiasco was the best."

"What did I tell you two about mentioning that incident again?" Kouga growled, glancing over at Hakkaku who was laughing with Ginta and several other youkai and humans alike, happily reliving the fonder times of their highschool years.

"... Something about yanking my tongue out if I ever mentioned it"

"So why are you?"

Ayame giggled, looking up at Kouga from her cross-legged position on the floor. "What's wrong, Kouga? It was so funny!"

An eyebrow rose in her direction and Kouga sniffed the air carefully, his youkai nose not missing a thing. "Ayame... What have you been drinking?"

"Ayame?"

"... I dunno."

"Ayame."

"Kou-ga, don't look at me like that!"

"Kouga, relax," said a dark haired girl whose lips curled back in a seductive smile as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "She can take care of herself."

He growled lightly as she traced her hands along his chest, her lazy smile growing as she leaned over the back of the couch.

"That's enough, Yura," he said simply, shrugging her arms away.

She sulked, moving back before smiling at his pony tail and running her fingers through it. His hair was incredibly soft for a wolf's. Wonderful.

"Kouga," she began, leaning over him again as she twirled a lock of his hair around her fingers and brought her face near the back of his jaw. "Could I just have the ends?"

Ayame narrowed her eyes, getting more of an eyeful down the other demon's shirt than she ever would have asked for. She hoisted herself onto the couch, swatting at Yura in annoyance.

"G'way, Yura," she mumbled.

"You, on the other hand, need to take better care of your hair." The demon plucked at one of the wolf's pigtails in disappointment, furrowing her eyebrows together as she ran the coarse hair through her fingers. "Such a pretty color, too."

"G'way." Swat, swat.

"My, my, my, aren't you possessive?" she asked, leaning against Kouga again with a smirk and tapping her fingers against his abs.

"Go give someone else a lap dance."

Yura traced her fingers along Kouga's neck slowly until he knocked her hand away. With a small sort of chuckle she walked off, eyes scanning the people for someone else with beautiful hair.

Kouga shook his dark bangs out of his eyes, watching Yura walk away. The red-head muttered something and snuggled into his shoulder as he casually draped an arm around her waist.

Ginta and Hakkaku looked at one another, at Yura's retreating back, then at each other again before both jumped up and dashed after her, trying to get there first.

Shaking her head, Ayame said, "She only has eyes for you."

"Or anyone else with nice hair."

"That too."

A small silence descended on the two as Ayame half smiled and nudged Kouga with her elbow. "Stud."

He growled playfully, nuzzling her cheek as she laughed.

"Isn't that what you love about me?" he asked, leaning towards her and pressing his forehead against hers.

"Mmmhmm." She smiled, putting a hand to the back of his head and swinging one of her legs onto his lap.

"Hey, get a room!" came the loud voice of InuYasha from across the room as he scowled at them from the middle of a game of darts.

Kouga looked over his shoulder, snarling at the hanyou. "Shut up, you mangey mutt."

"What did you call me??"

"You heard me, idiot."

"That's it, you're gonna pay..."

"InuYasha!" Kagome said sternly, taking him by the arm and dragging him back towards her and the others as Ayame turned Kouga's attention back to her. "Get a grip!"

"Feh, he's the one who's-"

"I don't want to hear it," she snapped, shoving a dart in his hand before grabbing a bowl of chips and salsa and settling in an armchair.

Sango made a face of exasperation and grabbed the food, setting it on the small table between the armchair and love seat so that it would be accessible by all. She sank into the small, plush sofa and nibbled at a chip. Her eyes traveled towards Miroku who suddenly appeared from pretty much nowhere, but looked over his shoulder and touched his rattail enough to make Sango guess that Yura was somewhere behind it all.

"A love seat? Oh, Sango, you shouldn't have," he commented, moving to sit next to her, but being pushed away by her foot. His smile only faltered ever so slightly as he scooted away. "Have to start somewhere."

Kagome shook her head at them and turned her attention back to the "game" of darts that was going on. "Come on, InuYasha."

The hanyou glanced over at her before taking careful aim on the board and threw his dart. It landed a hair's-breadth away from a bull's eye.

"Not bad, InuYasha," one of Kouga's wolves said, nodding his head in approval.

"Feh, it's not a bull's eye, so what does it matter?"

"Lighten up, InuYasha. It's only a game." Kagome crunched a salsa covered chip in her mouth while throwing him a grin. "It's not the end of the world."

The hanyou snorted. "You're sounding a bit cocky, Kagome."

"Gonna do something about it, InuYasha?"

"Yeah, I challenge you to a game. Loser tells my brother that Kagura called when he was out."

The girl's face suddenly drained both of color and expression - until horror quickly flooded to it. "WHAT? That's not fair! You picked up the phone! Besides, you're family. He wouldn't kill you!"

"Wanna bet?"

One of Sango's eyebrows rose and she leaned towards Miroku, a hand to the side of her mouth so Kagome - and hopefully InuYasha and his delicate ears - wouldn't hear her.

"What are they talking about?" she whispered, magenta eyes scanning Miroku's face for an answer. He was InuYasha's best friend, after all. He should know something, right?

"Sesshoumaru's ex," he replied, grinning at Sango's surprise. "Yeah, can you believe it? They had a really messy break up around Christmas - something about some other guy I think - and if you even mention her name, Sesshoumaru'll kill you on the spot."

"... It was that bad, huh?"

"Are you kidding me?" InuYasha said angrily, whipping his head in their direction. Apparently he had heard after all. "All I did today was say "Kagura ca-" and his eyes turned red."

"Why would she call if they broke up so long ago?" the magenta eyed girl asked, looking between InuYasha and Kagome.

Her best friend sighed and shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know, Sango. InuYasha said that she said something about a jewel, the Shikon no Tama I think, and then the line went dead."

Sango's eyebrows knit together. The Shikon no Tama? Hadn't her father mentioned that jewel a few nights ago? It was just beginning to come back to her when a hanyou's snarl brought her out of her thoughts.

"Who cares?" he snapped angrily, balancing the dart between two fingers as he aimed for the target. His anger, however, caused his dart to barely even hit the board, much less be anywhere close to a bull's eye.

Kagome tilted her head from side to side, cracking her neck loudly, and then tossed one of her darts - dead center.

"Kagome..." Sango began in surprise, blinking at her friend.

"I've had lots of practice."

"I can tell."

"I've had practice too," Miroku said smoothly, wrapping an arm around Sango's waist and, of course, groping her butt.

"Pervert!"

"Ow! Sango, it was a good luck grope!"

"Good luck in what?"

"... Hitting me properly?"

Sango grumbled something and scooted even further away, wanting to put distance between herself and her perverted friend. Actually, if it wasn't for him constantly groping her butt, she wouldn't have even thought about moving away. She really liked being around him, as long as there was something between them or his hands were occupied. Throughout highschool, they had gotten a lot closer with their best friends "unofficially" going out and all and now she almost thought that -

"Haha! I won! Take that, InuYasha!"

"I'm not going to tell my bastard brother that Kagura called. I don't wanna die!"

"InuYasha, you're the one who set the rules."

"I didn't think I'd lose!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome's eyes narrowed suddenly.

"I think you went a little too far that time, InuYasha," his best friend said, wincing for him. "She may not be as vicious as Sango, but I wouldn't want Kagome mad at me."

"Feh, I'm not scared."

Kagome's eyes flashed and she pointed to the small couch as Sango stood up quickly and pulled her t-shirt down to cover her stomach, yanking on Miroku's arm to get him to stand out of the way as well.

"Sit, InuYasha," she snapped and InuYasha instantly sat down and quite heavily, cowering a bit under Kagome's long stare.

He smiled weakly, tilting his head to the side innocently. "Hey, Kagome..."

At his smile, weak as it was, she sputtered, finding her anger at him slowly draining away. "Sometimes I don't know wether to hit you or kiss you..."

"The second sounds less painful," he suggested with a small shrug as he looked up at her through his thick bangs, a roguish look on his face.

"InuYasha!" she protested in surprise as he took her by the arms and pulled her towards him. But her words were cut off short when InuYasha smirked slightly and pressed his lips against hers.

"Now who needs to get a room?" Sango asked, rolling her eyes and taking the chips and salsa to a new location. Miroku followed, naturally, and threw a happy arm around her shoulders.

"If it's not any inconvenience to your plans, we too could 'get a room' and see where the evening takes us..."

"Pervert!"

"Sango! Not the chips! Please, not the chips!"

"I wouldn't be worried about the chips if I were in your position, Miroku."

][

"What was that?" Kikyou asked. She jolted up out of her chair, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the room.

"Relax, Higurashi," the demon slayer replied, pulling her back into her chair while he leaned back in his own.

"I heard something, Taijiya."

"You've been hearing things since we got the Shikon no Tama. A human would be louder than anything you've heard and I can sense demon presences. Do us both a favor and relax."

She let out a sigh and leaned one of her elbows on the oak dining table. Her long gun laid in her lap and she ran her fingers lightly over the silencer and inscription on the barrel, "Sacred Arrow."

"Sorry. I'm just nervous," she apologized, clenching her molars together.

He smiled reassuringly, dark eyes drifting from the scattered remains of a small cardboard box and the elaborate case that held the Sacred Jewel within it.

Kikyou clenched her fist, rapping her knuckles lightly on the tabletop. "I'd feel much better if your children weren't here."

"Sango's out with friends and just might end up spending the night away from home."

"But your youngest is here."

"Kikyou, relax," he said in a low, commanding voice. "Nothing is going to happen. This is just a precaution." Seeing that nothing he was saying had reassured her in the least, the man leaned forward, tapping the butt of his weapon on the ground to attract her attention. "Higurashi, how was the Sacred Jewel delivered?"

"We've been here since nine," she responded in a drone. "At 9:15, you left for the post office where you got a package with Kohaku's name on it. When we opened the box, there were letters and other trinkets including a model truck. Inside that truck was the box that held the Shikon no Tama."

"And would anyone have followed such a difficult trail, not even knowing who to follow, when we purposely set out some distractions?"

She shook her head absentmindedly, running a hand through her hair and pushing her bangs away from her forehead. She leaned back slightly, trying with all her power to relax. Her body tensed visibly when a car was heard pulling up to the house. However she swallowed heavily to calm herself when the voice of her younger cousin rang out loudly.

"Sango! Call me tomorrow, ok?"

The other teenager laughed and said something that couldn't be heard before letting herself in the front door. Two pairs of eyes instantly traveled towards her as she quietly walked past the dining room, squinting in the darkness to make out the two people sitting at the table watching her.

"Sango, did you enjoy yourself?" her father asked as he glanced at his watch. "It's 12:57 so I'll assume that you did."

She smiled a big sheepishly and shifted her weight like a guilty child before nodding at Kikyou. "Hi, Kikyou."

"Sango."

"It's late. I'll talk to you in the morning," he continued, smiling fondly at her as she ran up the stairs towards her room. Kikyou, however, seemed only more unsettled by his daughter's appearance.

"Now both your children are home, Taijiya. We should have had the jewel delivered to my apartment," she pressed.

"The agency decided that there were too many civilians there to risk anything."

To that, she had no reply. She only looked back at her gun, checking it for probably the hundredth time that evening. However, as it grew closer and closer to sunrise, even she began to relax. Maybe nothing was going to happen after all...

She woke with a start from her half asleep state, an uneasy gut feeling keeping her from making any noise. She glanced over at her partner who had a tense expression on his face and had tightened his grip along the staff of his weapon.

"A demon aura."

Kikyou nodded, swallowing heavily as her ears strained. If she listened carefully enough, she could hear light footsteps in the living room and the soft rustling of cloth.

The two of them stood, raising their weapons and advancing slowly. They moved fluidly, sure-footed despite the adrenalin in their veins. This was exactly what they had been trained for, after all.

Then, the footsteps stopped. For countless, incredibly tense, seconds the only thing the two humans could hear was their own breathing.

Both of their hands tightened on their weapons as a tall demon came into their line of sight, a fan opened across her face to hide everything below her blood red eyes from view.

"Demon, this is your chance to leave without a fight."

Her lips curled into a smirk, something the two agents couldn't see. "I will have the Sacred Jewel, human. This is your chance to get out of my way."

She flicked her wrist and half a dozen blades snapped out of her fan, glittering in the dim light. The trio stood in a silent stalemate before she lunged forward, too quickly for an untrained person to detect. The two FBI agents, however, were anything but untrained.

The man parried her attack with a sweep of his scythe-like weapon and then lashed out with the butt of the staff, attempting to knock her unconscious.

"Is that all you can do, human? You're pathetic," she sneered as she leapt back, landing gracefully on the ground before whipping out another fan and whipping it open. Just like before, blades snapped out and she struck a fighting stance, one fan shadowing her face and the other raised over her head.

An oddly long bullet flew by her, missing her head only when she jerked it to the side with inhuman reflexes. Kikyou's eyes narrowed as she aimed once more at the youkai who only smirked coldly.

"You chose death, did you?"

][

Sango jerked awake, a fighter's instinct telling her to remain absolutely silent. Almost holding her breath, she threw the covers away from her body and slid out of bed. She glided over her floor with a silence to rival that of a cat youkai.

Very carefully she opened her bedroom door, sticking her head out just enough to see if the coast was clear. When she saw nothing, she entered the hallway just as her brother opened his door, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Sa-"

She silenced him instantly by pressing a finger against her lips and nodding her head towards the stairs. The two of them strained their ears, hearing nothing in the silence. Kohaku yawned, ready to go back to sleep, when a loud crashstartled him and his sister out of ten years of their lives.

Sango tensed. "A demon aura."

Her brother swallowed, tightening his fingers on the long sleeves of his dark blue pyjamas as he whispered, scarcely daring to speak, "What do we do?"

"Stay here," she breathed. "I'm going to see what's going on."

"Are you crazy, Sango?" he hissed, eyes widening in horror. "Dad and Kikyou are the agents, not you!"

She bit her lip, ears struggling to hear the quiet sounds of the fight below them. Without another hesitation, she slipped back into her room. Seconds later, she reappeared, a large boomerang held behind her back.

"Sango!" Kohaku hissed urgently as she slowly descended the stairs with almost cat-like grace, poise and silence. "Sango!"

Her bare feet made next to no noise on the carpeted steps. She wiped one of her hands on the side of her boxer pyjama bottoms, drying it of the nervous sweat that had accumulated on her palm. Sango paused at the bottom of the staircase, pressing herself against the wall to listen to the sounds coming from the living room.

A male voice grunted in pain as a heavy body hit a wall with a thud. Sango's heart leapt into her throat and she felt her blood pounding in her ears.

"Father..."

But just as she pushed herself away from the wall to run into the room to do something, anything, to help, something crashed through the bay window across the room from her, spraying glass everywhere.

She held her weapon in front of her, shielding herself from the flying shards, as three new demonic auras flooded her senses.

"Ah, Bankotsu, it's a girl. I'll leave her to you," one of them said, twirling his sword expertly with a jaunty expression. The second, Bankotsu, glared as his partner blew him a kiss and leapt eagerly to the battle in the living room. As for the third, he disappeared into the shadows with a growl as suddenly as he appeared, eyes searching for blood.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Bankotsu threw his attention back to the girl just in time to see a large boomerang flying towards him with deadly speed. He jumped up, flipping out of the way.

He growled as she caught the weapon, sliding back a foot or two from its force, and struck a ready stance. He held his double-ended weapon in front of him, flipping his braid out of his way.

"And for that, you will pay."

Sango parried his attack, struggling slightly to keep her ground as the more powerful demon bared down on her. Throwing caution to the winds, she spun her weapon and flung it to the side, causing Hiraikotsu to fly through the wall separating her from the living room, taking her opponent's weapon with it.

At the exact same moment, two people called out her name: her brother at the top of the stairs, sickle in hand, and her father who stared at the destroyed wall and her in complete shock.

"Sango!"

In the brief moment of calm that followed, Kikyou and her partner fell back as Kohaku dashed down the stairs and stopped at his sister's side. Bankotsu dove through what had been the wall, grabbing his weapon as he skidded to a halt near his partner and Kagura. The last demon was still nowhere to be seen, but Sango continued looking around frantically, knowing that she had seen three appear.

"Jakotsu," the wind sorceress snarled, spitting poison at him. "This is my mission."

"Naraku didn't think you could do it alone," he replied with a wink. "He told Juuroumaru to come here and naturally Bankotsu and I volunteered ourselves."

"Huh, do what you like with the humans. The Shikon no Tama is all I care about."

The demon's lips turned up in a smirk. "With pleasure."

Jakotsu and Bankostu lunged forward, each targeting one of the agents that still stood defiantly in their paths.

Kikyou fired a round from her gun, the bullets digging deep into the demons' arms, legs, and even stomachs. But, as they were youkai, it wasn't nearly enough to stop them. She fell back, reloading her weapon as quickly as possible as her partner jumped forward, brandishing his weapon defensively.

"Higurashi! Get my children and the Sacred Jewel and get out of here!" he bellowed, gritting his teeth together as he locked weapons with the shorter of the two demons.

She darted to the table, a hand stretched out to grab the jewel from its box. Just as her fingers closed around it, her eyes widened in pain and her mouth fell open in a soundless scream as a long blade dug into her back.

The woman fell to the ground, blood pouring from her wound as she struggled to right herself once more. She cried out in pain as a heavy body leapt onto her back, pinning her to the ground. A feral, untamed snarl left the demon that now clawed at her injury, relishing in the blood that stained his claws.

"Hiraikotsu!"

The boomerang flew across the room, catching the light haired demon in the side and flinging him away. In the few seconds she had, Kikyou rolled onto her back, still clutching the jewel in a hand as she almost blindly fired at the crumpled, but still living, youkai. The bullet left her gun, a strange purple light glowing around it.

Juuroumaru only had time to snarl and attempt to leap out of the way before he was caught in the chest by the impossibly powerful attack. His wild eyes widened as a hole, growing in size rapidly, appeared in just to the side of his heart. In the blood-lust that filled his senses, all he could think about was returning to his victim, even as his body disintegrated.

"Kikyou!" Sango cried, running towards the fallen woman and sinking to her knees beside her.

"Take your brother... the jewel... run," she rasped, pressing the Shikon no Tama into the young woman's hand and tightening her fingers around it. "Find help."

Sango swallowed heavily, tightening her fingers around the jewel until her knuckles turned white. She stood, her weapon in one hand and the jewel in the other, eyes frantically searching for her little brother.

"Kohaku!"

Jakotsu smiled evilly, twirling his sword once as he took a step towards the boy. "You should've stayed out of sight while you had the chance."

"Jakotsu! Leave the kid alone!"

"Shut up, Kagura! No one can live to remember this night."

Kohaku's hands shook in fear as he automatically raised his weapon, yet with no clue what to do. He froze, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, as the demon laughed coldly at his attempt to protect himself.

A bullet flew by his head, nicking the tip of his ear and imbedding itself deep in the railing of the stairs. His head whipped around and he narrowed his eyes at the bloody agent. Kikyou, apparently, still had a few shots in her.

He snarled, raising his weapon and starting towards her as a heavy blow caught him in the stomach. The attack flung him into the wall and he winced, looking up at Sango who stood before him, Hiraikotsu held in her hands like a baseball bat. She exhaled heavily through her nose, eyes flashing with an adrenalin rush like no other. Countless years of training in dojos and with her father were extremely evident.

The sickening sound of a blood soaked body slamming to the ground echoed throughout the room as her father's lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Bankotsu put his foot to the man's back, using his own weight as leverage as he tore his bloody blade out of the human's neck.

"Taijiya!" Kikyou shouted, the sound making her partner's killer turned to her. Knowing that there was nothing left for her to lose, she fired bullet after bullet at the demon, praying for the same miracle that caused the one that killed Juuroumaru to bless her one last time, if only for the children to get out alive.

Bankotsu growled, either dodging or allowing the somewhat harmless bullets to hit him as he charged her, blood dripping off his weapon. Kikyou blood curdling scream rang in her attacker's ears as she raised her hands in a helpless attempt to protect her head and face as he struck again and again and again.

Those few moments were all Jakotsu needed to retrieve his weapon and strike at Sango's exposed back as she, along with her brother, stared in horror at their father's fallen body. She cried out, blood seeping into the fabric of her white tank top as she sunk to her knees, Hiraikotsu dropping uselessly at the ground beside her.

"Sango!" Kohaku cried, running towards his sister. He lifted his weapon, striking out at Jakotsu, his anger fueling him as he parried, dodged and attacked. He spun the chain in the air, using the weighted end to lash out at the youkai and attempt to throw his sword from him.

His sister struggled to straighten herself, or at least get a hold of her weapon, as a barefooted demon calmly padded up to her. Kagura knelt down, easily wrestling the Shikon no Tama from Sango's clenched fist. The two locked eyes and suddenly Sango found herself hearing Miroku's words echoing in her mind, "_Sesshoumaru's ex. Yeah, can you believe it?_"

"K-Kagura..." she gasped, grabbing the she-demon's wrist with a blood covered hand with shocking strength for her weakened condition. "You... Sesshoumaru..."

The red eyed demon's veins filled with an icy terror as she ripped her hand out of the girl's grasp and took an automatic step back. She'd never met the girl before! How did she know who she was?

_If she lives, Sesshoumaru will know I was part of his. He will hunt me down._

"Jakotsu, I have the jewel. Leave the children," she barked out, sudden realization hitting her with the force of a semi.

_Yes... He must find out_, she thought, turning away from the fallen teenager.

In that moment, Sango managed to raise Hiraikotsu over her head and crash it down across Kagura's unprotected back. The demon stumbled forward, an expression of pain on her face. Both Jakotsu and Bankotsu instantly were upon Sango, mercilessly attacking her, unable to risk losing yet another youkai on this mission.

_Kohaku... _Sango thought weakly, helplessly, hardly able to ward off the two youkai's attacks. _Get out of here._

"We have to get out of here now!" a low voice said as Sango fought a lost battle to keep her consciousness.

"Can't you hear the sirens? We cut it too close."

"No..." Sango could hear the sound of the fragments on the necklace with the Shikon no Tama tinkling together as it was tossed up once. "This jewel will allow me to get us out of here easily."

The last thing she was aware of before losing consciousness was the sound of sirens, finally detectable by her human ears. By then, her vision had gone black, along with most of her other senses and all she could do was slip into the soothing nothingness of unconsciousness.

_Kohaku... Please be safe..._


	3. Steady Pulse

**Author's Note:** Eh… Not too happy with this chapter. I had originally wanted to explain a lot more things in it, but, as you all will see, that didn't happen. So, I guess you'll all have to be in the "dark" for a while longer. Yeah, the story is starting a little slower than I thought it would. Curse my need for lengthening the chapters and yet saying nothing! Oh yeah, and some of you might think that Miroku is a bit OOC in part of this chapter, but it's just a side of him that you don't see often in the anime/manga. And I also want to apologize for doing all these scene changes. I really hate them, but I'd rather do a scene change than a badly written transition. I'll try to do less scene changes as I get more chapters up and everyone starts being in the same place at the same time.

_FluffyLemonn:_ Alright, a third chapter!! Aren't you incredibly proud of me? –ahem-

_Surfergirl16:_ On your favorites list? Thanks so much!

_FeathersInTheWind:_ Here's the update you were waiting for. ; Love the name, by the way.

_KaguraImmortal: _Yeah, I do know that she's passed on in the manga. (Thus my one-shot tribute to her.) I'm still waiting and praying for a pretty unlikely scenario that ends with Kagura being brought back to life. (I might write a one-shot about that too if I get around to it, but I'm just rambling now, aren't I?) Yeah, I know that my chapters are a bit flitty right now and that there is an endless amount of information that no one but me knows, but eventually it will all be revealed. A lot of it by Kagura, come to think of it.

**Disclaimer:** I own this plot (or however much of it exists) and the setting, but that's about it. Wish I owned more though.

[][][][][][]

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

Miroku was awoken from a deep slumber, and from a very good dream too - the sort that would never happen in reality - at about six in the morning by his phone ringing somewhere next to his bed, under a pile of clothes.. He reached for it in the darkness, covers still tangled around him.

"H'lo?" he mumbled groggily with his eyes still shut. "...Kagome? What's so important that you had to call at-"

Kagome's hysterical voice cut him off suddenly. "Sango's in the emergency room!"

"What?!?" he demanded, instantly jolting upright and pulling his twisted covers away from his waist. A fear, unlike anything he had ever felt before, filled him and he found his heart leaping into his throat. He ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to control his breathing. "What happened?"

"She's lost too much blood," was the reply, barely understandable through Kagome's sobbing. "They say it will take a miracle."

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

"Her condition is critical."

Miroku hardly glanced over at the elderly doctor, all the emotion completely drained from his face as he stood, arms crossed tightly. His jaws were clenched together tightly and it seemed that every single muscle in his body had tensed. In hardly a few hours, he felt like he had aged years.

"I'll keep you posted," the doctor finished, glancing at each of the three teenagers before disappearing down the hall.

InuYasha watched the doctor walk off as Kagome clung to his hand tightly, fingers intertwined. She bit her lip and rubbed her puffy eyes with her other hand. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears from the adrenalin rushing through her. _This can't be happening._ __

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

"What?" InuYasha asked sharply, being probably the only one of the three that could speak.

"She's comatose," the doctor repeated. "Her brain might be functioning properly, but her body is unable to respond."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snapped in retort. His golden eye flashed in annoyance. Yeah, he was upset that Sango was hurt - she was one of his few friends - but just having to be near Kagome while she almost had an anxiety attack and Miroku while he just stood there had destroyed all of his patience.

"She's in a coma, but it's possible that she'll come out of it."

Kagome swallowed heavily, voice cracking as she spoke. "C-can we see her?"

The doctor nodded and opened the door behind her. She stepped to the side and watched as, one after the other, three stone-faced teenagers filed into the room and closed the door behind them.

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

"Miroku? I'm going to go now. It's getting late and I promised my mom I'd be home for dinner."

He nodded absentmindedly, hardly taking his eyes off the hospital bed.

"Don't stay too long."

"I won't, Kagome," he replied in monotone.

She bit her lip, digging her teeth into the flesh until it almost began bleeding. "Stop torturing yourself like this."

Miroku looked over at her, his expression completely deadpan. That's how it had been since that night. Sesshoumaru probably showed more emotion than he did of late.

"Miroku, it's been almost two months," Kagome continued voice breaking. Tears flooding to her eyes and her heart positively wrenching in her chest as she brought her gaze to her best friend and the IVs constantly pumping fluids into her body. "You'll kill yourself if you keep acting like this-"

"I want to be here when she wakes up."

She covered her mouth with a hand as tears fell from her eyes, staining her cheeks. A sudden sob racked her body and she quickly walked out of the room before she could completely lose control. She closed the door behind her, looking at Miroku's back and the machines surrounding Sango's bed through the small window. Helplessness flooded through her veins, the sort of helplessness that she had been fighting against ever since she first heard about the attack on Sango's house.

For a while after Kagome left the room, Miroku only continued to stare at the side of the bed - the sheets folded in so perfectly against her still body and her arms laying perfectly parallel with her side. Finally he began muttering something, hardly loud enough for anyone else to be able to hear.

"I know you'd hate for me to see you like this, but I think it'd be even worse for you to be in here alone all the time," he murmured, looking intently at his hands, folded on his lap. "I don't think you have any idea how much we all need you to pull through this for us. Everything's going to pieces, Sango. InuYasha and Kagome... Everyone, really. We're all losing our grip on everything."

He then looked up at her and leaned forward to brush her bangs away from her eyes. His hand moved to the side of her face, cupping it gently as he rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone. "I've never waited for another girl before, Sango. And you're the one that I - that everyone - really needs back."

Sighing, Miroku pushed his chair back and stood. He glanced at the end table and picked up the black sketchbook she drew in nearly every day of their senior year. It fell open instantly on the picture she had been drawing on the last day of school.

Even now, he couldn't help but feel curious about where she got inspiration for the sketch. She was in it, dressed in the outfit of a demon slayer from the Feudal Era and throwing a weapon identical to her Hiraikotsu at something in front of her. What probably intrigued him the most though was the second person in the picture - a man in a monk's outfit, extending his cursed right hand before him. His face, however, was unfinished.

Miroku set the notebook down again, leaving it open to that page as he looked back at Sango. "I hope you wake up soon; I want to see who the monk is."

He turned, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and walked out of the room. A strange confidence filled him, almost as if he somehow knew that things would start looking up. Or maybe it was despair. After all, he had been trying to convince himself unsuccessfully for months that she could wake up any day. Maybe he had finally been able to. After all, how long can a human last before embracing the smallest shred of hope as if his life depended on it?

The door shut silently behind him. Nothing but the steady beeping of the hospital machines could be heard in the entire room.

With each beep, there was life.

And that in itself meant that nothing that had happened since that fateful night had gone according to plan.

Sango didn't leap out of bed or anything around those lines. The last thing she could remember was being in a battle to the death with several dangerous youkai. For all she knew, she had gotten knocked out and they were still hovering over her, watching to see if she was dead or not.

How she finally managed to win the battle and pull out of her coma would always remain a phenomenon - even to her. All the girl knew was that all of a sudden, she was conscious of her surroundings. The only thing she couldn't figure out was the infernal beeping that continued to echo all around her, taunting and tormenting her. God, the second she found out what it was, she would destroy it. It was enough to drive her insane.

Where the hell could she be where something continuously beeped around her?

Her mouth suddenly went dry and her throat closed. Oh, God, she was still back in the house. The demons had left some sort of bomb behind them to destroy any evidence they may have left and it was going to kill her. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Her magenta eyes instantly flew open. It didn't matter if the youkai were still around. She was going to die any way, wasn't she?

Everything around her was blurry. Sango had to blink countless times before anything even came close to coming into focus. But one thing was clear.

_Sango, you're not in your house anymore._

A hospital? How did she end up in a hospital? She slowly turned her head from side to side on her pillow, trying to figure out exactly where she was.

Her eyebrows knit together tightly as she continued looking around, going through the possibilities of what had happened in her mind.

_There were sirens._

Yes, that must have been it! The police had come - some neighbors must have called them - and she had still been alive so they rushed her to the hospital. She must have gone through surgery or something and had blood hastily rushed into her. Yes, that was it. She had just woken up from surgery.

... If that was true, how could all of her injuries have healed so quickly?

She closed her eyes and flopped her head to the side, passing her dry tongue over her lips. When she opened her eyes again, they focused in on the red button that would call the nurse on duty if she pressed it. Yeah, she knew about that. She had been in the hospital when she was twelve to have the kidney she had ruptured while sparring in her dojo repaired.

Without much hesitation she pressed it and waited for the nurse's voice on the other end of the connection. When no one responded, she almost pressed it again. However, just as her finger hovered over the button, her door flew open and one of the nurses stood there in complete shock.

"You're awake??"

She squinted, the bright light from the hallway giving her eyes much more trouble than the dim sunlight from the setting sun that filled her small room.

"Where-" That was strange. She could hardly talk. Clearing her throat a bit weakly, she tried again. "Where am I?"

"You're in the comatose ward of the Midoriko Hospital."

Comatose? How could she be in the -

Sango's face paled and, for a moment, the intern nurse thought she was going to faint. "Nurse... What day is it?"

"August fifth, 2004."

Then, she really did faint. Between having used more muscles than she had in almost two months and almost going into cardiac arrest from fright when she first woke up, Sango had succeeded in tiring her body out completely.

The nurse swiftly entered the room and checked her patient's vitals. When everything appeared to be in order, she went and picked out her patient's file. Now she had to contact the next of kin and let them know that Sango had awoken.

][

"Kagome, how was your day, dear?"

The Higurashi girl looked up from her meal, smiling at her mother. "Fine. The food's great, mom."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled in return and leaned forward to pile more noodles onto her daughter's nearly empty plate.

"You're a growing girl and need to have plenty to eat," she said, scooping out a mound of food and then settling back in her chair, expecting her daughter to eat everything.

Kagome looked down at her plate, an awkward feeling causing her to shift in her chair and mutter, "Mom, I stopped growing when I was fifteen. And I'm not that hungry."

Her mother sighed and balanced her elbows against the table, eyeing her daughter in concern. "You went to see Sango again, didn't you?"

Her daughter's silence was enough of an answer.

"You're always depressed when you come back from seeing her."

Silence fell over the table and Souta glanced from his mom to his sister and even to his grandfather who was eating as if nothing happened.

He opened his mouth to speak and the phone rang in the kitchen. Kagome stood, almost mechanically.

"I'm done. I'll get it."

Souta watched as she left the room and then turned to his mom, clearing his throat to try and start a better conversation. "Guess what, mom."

"What, Souta?"

"I think I might make the team this year."

"That's wonderful, have you been practicing?"

"Yeah, a lot. Me, Souten and even Shippou are really getting good."

"That's just what growing boys need. Sports," his grandfather said suddenly. "It's good for them."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at him, nodding automatically before looking back at her son. "Souten? Isn't she that adorable little girl with the buns?"

"Yeah, Shippou doesn't like having her around though. She's better than we are and shows off all the time. It really bugs him," he grumbled before added in a brighter tone, "But we're better at computers and video games."

"Sounds to me like she's got a crush," his mother replied knowingly. Souta's eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? She is the most tomboyish girl in the entire school. She and Shippou are always fighting about something or another."

"I'm just saying..."

"Mom, girls flirt with guys. They don't beat them in every sport out there and fight with them."

She only smiled and shook her head in a way that would make most children cringe. It was the "I've been there and done that" look parents got whenever they were convinced that they knew more about a topic than their children did. The mere fact that they usually did when they got that look was irrelevant and most kids completely ignored it.

"What? WHAT?? When?!?"

The entire family instantly threw their attention to the kitchen where Kagome's shrill screams could be heard.

"... If InuYasha got in a fight with Kouga again..." Souta began, trailing off. There really was no need for him to continue his train of thought.

"Alright... Yeah... Oh my God, you can't believe how incredible this is."

The grandfather raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How could InuYasha and Kouga's fighting be incredible?"

Just as the words left his mouth, Kagome rushed back into the room, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. Hardly able to contain herself, she hastily wiped her eyes dry as she said through an enormous grin, "Sango's awake!"

][

Sango opened her eyes and looked towards the door as it flew open. She was hardly able to focus in on the girl that ran in before she threw her arms around her neck and began sobbing into her shoulder.

"Sango, I was so worried about you! I didn't think you'd wake up and I couldn't believe that-" Kagome cut off herself off abruptly, pulling away. "I'm sorry. You're probably really tired and here I am throwing myself on you and-"

"No, it's ok," Sango replied, smiling at her best friend and settling herself back against the pillows. "Were you really that worried?"

Kagome stared at her in disbelief. How could she even ask that? She should have known that they all would have been worried sick. They all were pretty good friends, after all.

"Are you kidding? InuYasha's probably sick of all the times I started crying and Miroku was here almost every day for hours!"

Magenta eyes wide, Sango instantly turned towards Miroku. Her cheeks flushed and she fought to keep from having her entire face turn bright red in embarrassment. "Miroku..."

He crossed over to his usual chair, sinking into it. Taking her hand in his, he smiled at her and Sango felt her cheeks going even redder.

"I couldn't bear seeing you in such a state," he said in the strangely sincere way that he spoke when usually alone with her. "And I couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible it would have been for you to be alone the whole time."

She looked down, unable to hold his gaze for long. "Miroku, I-"

That hand!

"Pervert!!"

Miroku sat back, a hand rubbing the welt on the side of his face as he chuckled uneasily. "Just making up for lost time, Sango. I hadn't done that in two months. I couldn't wait any longer."

She only twitched, huffing and glaring at him.

InuYasha stepped forward, hitting Miroku upside the head as he reached him. "Idiot."

"InuYasha, I was merely exercising my right-"

"To her thigh? Can it, lecher," he snorted, crossing his arms in annoyance. When he looked over at Kagome and Sango, however, his expression softened the smallest bit. "We're all glad you're awake, Sango."

She smiled and ran a hand through her hair. Her expression turned serious and her eyes fell first from one person to another as she searched each of them for answers.

"Where's Kohaku?"

The other three looked at each other uneasily. For a moment, no one spoke. None of them knew exactly how to break the news to her.

Fear slowly filled her eyes as she continued to look at each of them. She struggled to keep her voice steady as she repeated the question.

"Where's Kohaku?"

Finally Kagome cleared her throat and squeezed Sango's hand tightly. "They never found him. The police said there was a lot of blood from an unknown source, probably his, but they never found a body."

She tried to swallow, but a lump in her throat made it nearly impossible. The corners of her eyes itched with the threat of tears and she closed them tightly, refusing to start crying.

"My house? The Shikon no Tama?" she breathed, hardly daring to even ask those questions.

This time it was Miroku that replied. He took a deep breath, deciding to not try and beat around the bush about anything. She deserved the truth and would hear it with or without cushioning. It was better for her to just know exactly what had happened.

"Your house is still marked off as a crime scene. The police are trying to use new high-tech forensics to track the youkai's presences, but they are having a lot of trouble with it," he told her, dark blue eyes meeting hers. "No one knows what happened to the Sacred Jewel."

Sango bowed her head, vision blurring with tears as she stared down at her sheets and tried to force her eyes to clear. But blink after blink, she found herself unable to shove the tears away. They clung to her thick lashes and dropped onto her lap as she shook her head.

"My family was killed by demons for a stone," she said, voice shaking, but with an underlying edge to it. "They should have finished me off while they had the chance."

"Sango... No one knows who did it. The headlines were all screaming about how "Naraku's crime ring" struck again and how destroying the FBI headquarters had been part of his plan and how no one was safe. Everyone was on alert for anything and every single demon in this country was question," InuYasha seethed, clenching his fists until his sharp claws began biting through his palms. His amber eyes flashed with an intensity of rage that no one in the room had ever seen before - or thought that they would ever see. "And still, the police have nothing."

Kagome stood, leaving Sango's side for a moment as she wrapped an arm around InuYasha's shoulders and tried to get him to calm down.

_Kagura... She was there..._

Sango opened her mouth, about to tell them all that she knew for a fact that the red-eyed youkai had been there and taken the Shikon no Tama from her. But as soon as she looked over at InuYasha and saw the fire in his eyes, she snapped it shut again. Now was not the time to mention it. After all, Kagura wasn't that unique of a name, was it? Maybe it had been a different demon that had attacked her, not the one that used to have a relationship with InuYasha's half-brother.

Deep down, she knew that that wasn't the case. The demon that took the Sacred Jewel had flinched when Sango managed to gasp out her name and Sesshoumaru's. She had seen the brief terror flickering in the youkai's eyes and yet... she had demanded that they all flee and leave her alive.

Why? Why did Kagura want her alive if she would only be able to point the finger of accusation at her when she recovered?

"Sango? Sango, are you ok?" Kagome asked, worry flying back to her features instantly.

She shook her head a bit, forcing herself out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized that she had zoned out, or that it might have caused her friends to worry considerably about her.

"I'm fine, Kagome, just tired I guess," she lied, giving her best friend's hand a squeeze to reassure her. "When did the doctors say I can leave?"

"Not for a few more days. They need to run some tests and make sure that your immune system's working and that you're fit to leave," Miroku said, eyes falling to her closed sketchbook. So she had noticed that it had been opened. But would she finish the sketch?

"Sango, you know, you don't really have a place to stay, do you?" Kagome stated suddenly. As soon as she spoke, everyone looked at each other quickly. Where was Sango going to stay?

"As much as I know you'd like to stay with me," Miroku began, winking broadly at her. "I'm afraid that it wouldn't work out. I'm sort of... between homes at the moment and staying with InuYasha at his half-brother's."

"Where are your parents?" Sango inquired, lifting an eyebrow at the hanyou.

"In Japan for God knows how long," he snarled, a glare glittering in his eyes.

"It's an extended anniversary gift," Miroku explained with a knowing nod. "And they didn't want InuYasha home alone for a few months, so they decided that family should stick together."

"And I'm going to kill that bastard if I have to see him one more time! I can't stand him!"

Kagome chuckled nervously, taking her arm off of InuYasha's shoulders incase he decided to lash out unexpectedly. "Uh... I could ask my mom if you'd be able to stay with us, Sango."

"Thanks," she replied, nestling herself back against her pillows. Now she really was beginning to feel tired. Her energy was bound to return, but that didn't stop her from feeling tired now. Who knew that talking to her friends for a short time could drain her so much physically and emotionally?

Miroku stood, sensing her fatigue and begun herding the others towards the door. "We'll come back tomorrow."

Sango smiled at them as they left the room, closing the door quietly behind themselves. She was just about to try and figure out what she should do about Kagura when a wave of sleep took over her and she closed her eyes, drifting off into the peaceful realm of sleep.


	4. Cold as Ice

**Author's Note:** Lookit, everyone! An update! Hurrah!!! Wow, I'm realizing that the earlier chapters of this story must really suck if you only know half of what's going on. Want to know why? Because you're sitting there, thinking, "This doesn't make any sense! Why is it so flitty? _–sniffle-_ My brain hurts." Ok, so, things aren't explained that much more in this chapter, but if things start going according to plan (which they have not done up to now. Seriously, in my original plan, this would be chapter 2, not 4), then things will be explained more in the next chapter. This chapter does have some random parts in it that I just really wanted to add and I know that you all are going to want to kill me at the end of it, but please don't. I mean, if I'm dead, I can't write more, can I? (This comment was mostly directed to FluffyLemonn who probably will try to kill me. Remember, I have mad fu skills!) Oh yeah, and I didn't do any scene changes in this chapter. Aren't you proud of me?

_KaguraImmortal_: I'm also sad that I couldn't put Kagura in that chapter, but, when I tried to, it just didn't work. She will be in at least half of the next chapter though – or at least how it's playing out in my mind she is – and after that, she'll keep making steady appearances. Yeah, and this story is supposed to be mostly Sango and Miroku. So I get distracted…. Sue me. And don't worry, I don't mind that you're sort of stalking me. It's flattering in a strange, twisted way.

_Surfergurl16_: Sorry I couldn't update sooner. Too much school and what not. But still, here's a new chapter.

_FluffyLemonn_: New chapter? –shifty eyes- Well… I've got this one now! Yay! But, after you read it, you'll probably tie me to my chair so that I'm forced to update sooner. I blame school entirely!!

_Burnkikyou_: Of course Kagura was Sesshoumaru's girlfriend. Don't the two of them make the most awesome couple in the series in a sort of twisted… evil… "I hate you, but not really" sort of way? --;;

_Aamalie_: Hey, it's ok that you missed a chapter. Don't even worry about it. I had lots of fun making Miroku uber sweet although I really was expecting someone to review and be like, "MIROKU WAS OOC! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? RAWR!!!!" Thank God no one did as of now. Phew.

**Disclaimer:** I own InuYasha… No, that's not right… I don't own InuYasha… Still doesn't quite say it. I KNOW! I shall never in a hundred years own InuYasha or make money off of it. There, much better.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The sunlight poured into the small hospital room, the drapes having been pulled back earlier that day. Sango sat up in her bed, shifting against the pillows along her back in a vain attempt to find a position that she was comfortable in. In her lap was her black sketchbook, open to a fresh page. Her hand flew over the page, light pencil marks indicating vaguely where she wanted to place the image in her mind.

She closed her eyes, trying to envision something while her pencil hovered just above the paper. Creasing her eyebrows together, she bent forward and added a few more rapid lines. She was so focused on her work that she didn't notice the door open or anyone enter until the doctor cleared her throat.

Sango looked up, instantly closing her notebook and setting it on her night stand. "Yes?"

"I've filled out your release forms," the elderly woman said, tapping her knuckles against the clipboard she held in her arms along with an odd bundle of clothes. "You're free to go."

A happy smile came onto her lips as she leaned her head back against the pillows and mouthed a silent, "Thank you."

Kaede shook her head in amusement. "There are only a few things for you to sign before you leave. Your friend left these for you to change into."

She left the clothes draped over the footboard and set her clipboard down on the night stand before exiting. Sango shoved the blankets off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her body convulsed in shivers when her barefeet touched the cold floor and she looked over at the pile of clothes, nothing more than sweat pants and a baggy shirt and a pair of old flip-flops for her to wear on her feet.

It wasn't like she had been expecting much. She and Kagome never could fit into each other's clothes properly.

Still, sweat pants or not, she was eager to be able to change out of her papery hospital gown and be able to wear some real clothes. She shed her gown, dropping it on the floor, and pulled on the pants and shirt. Stepping into the flip-flops, she pulled her long hair out from under her collar.

"Alright, what's all this?" she murmured to herself, flipping through the packet of papers and skimming over it. They basically were only things for her to sign so that she wouldn't sue the hospital if she felt at all sick after leaving and other things like that. All unnecessary in her opinion, but they probably had a reason for having them. Hardly reading any of the information, she signed her name a few times before picking up her sketchbook and pencil and walking out the door.

God, even after only being conscious for a few days she couldn't wait to leave. She could hardly imagine what kind of aggravation the conscious long-term patients felt.

She walked past the desk, the nurse on the phone glancing up in her direction as she walked by before going back to her phone call.

"No, I told you there isn't any new news on her... Yes... I know... Hold on a second," she said, putting a hand to the phone as she realized just who walked by. "Miss Taijiya? Wait a second! ... No, she's still out. I'll call you when she comes to. Good bye. Miss Taijiya!"

Sango stopped, looking over at the nurse expectantly as she shifted through papers to find something.

"Just a second, miss Taijiya, it's right here..."

"What is?"

"Something a friend of yours brought."

She bent her eyebrows together. "Who?"

"I don't know. Someone with black hair... up in a bun... red eyes I think," the nurse replied, voice trailing off in a murmur to herself. Sango felt her blood run cold as the young nurse smiled and stood, holding a red and white fan in her hand.

"When did she give this to you?"

The nurse shrugged a shoulder, shaking her head in apology. "I don't know. I was on the phone. Just a few hours ago probably."

The teenager couldn't explain the way her hand shook as she reached out for the fan, nor how it was suddenly so difficult for her to swallow.

"Th-thank you," she finally managed to say, forcing a smile.

"Miss Taijiya, is something wrong?" the nurse asked in concern. "Are you unable to leave?"

"No... No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

The young nurse bit her lip as Sango walked down the hall, wondering if she should do anything to stop her. However, yet another phone call distracted her attention.

"Hello, Midoriko Hospital, comatose ward, may I help you?"

Sango waited somewhat anxiously for the elevator, tapping the fan against her palm. Nearly all the energy she had regained was suddenly spent entirely on remaining calm and not panicking. It was the last thing she needed to do at the moment.

But she couldn't stop her blood from freezing at the mere thought that the demon responsible for her father and brother's deaths had known exactly where she was and had stopped by. God, for all she knew, someone could be following her and watching her every second of the day.

It was ironic how much she felt like a fugitive even though she had done nothing wrong.

"Just relax," Sango murmured to herself, stepping into the elevator and leaning against the back wall. She shook her head slightly, forcing herself to be happy when she saw her friends again - they didn't have to know that her nerves were so strained that she was talking to herself.

By the time that the elevator doors opened to the lobby, Sango was nothing but smiles with the fan held loosely, purposely casually, in one of her hands. She took a few steps toward the sign on the wall across from her, then turned in the direction that pointed to the main doors.

But she had hardly gone another three steps before she heard a high-pitched voice shouting her name and found herself nearly tackled to the ground in a giant hug.

"Oh my God, Sango!! I can't believe they're letting you out! You're actually going to be able to-" she gushed out, cheeks flushed from excitement and her voice probably an octave higher than usual.

"Kagome, give her some air," Miroku interrupted wisely, pulling the two apart, a steadying hand remaining on Sango's back. She smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners as they rarely did, but her smile faltered as Miroku's hand slowly began sliding down her spine. "After all, she is still weak and tired."

One of her eyebrows began twitching. As his hand brushed along the waistband of her pants, she suddenly spun around and shouted shrilly as she slapped him viciously across the face.

Miroku closed his eyes in a wince and gently touched the hand shaped welt that popped up along his cheek. "Hm, a bit less painful than usual. Have you lost your touch or are my nerves slowly dying off?"

"Probably both," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her hand in the other as the fan hung off her pinky.

"Hey, Sango, where'd you get that?"

She glanced up at Kagome, instantly dropping her hands and trying to nonchalantly twirl the fan between her fingers. "Oh... Uh... Someone brought it for me."

She smiled, nodding her head. "Who was that?"

"Just an old friend." Her smile faltered slightly as she hoped that Kagome would no longer pry into the topic.

Her friend, on the other hand, seemed to have fallen into one of her oblivious phases. "Do I know 'em?"

"Yeah - No! ... I don't know," she stuttered, a flustered look coming to her eyes.

Her blue-eyed friend only tilted her head to the side curiously and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I mean, I haven't seen her in a while. I don't know if I ever introduced you."

A pause followed until Miroku cleared his throat.

"Is she attractive? I mean, I would certainly remember a pretty face. In fact, if I saw her again in close proximity, I'd even be able to tell you if I knew her just from how her-"

"Aiee! Pervert!" _Smack!_

"Sango, you misunderstand me-"

"As does my butt?"

"But of course. Allow me to fix that."__

_Smackity smack!_

Kagome slapped a hand to her forehead and slowly dragged it down, wincing all the while. "Guys... people are starting to stare..."

A bright red blush leapt to her friend's cheeks and she quickly pushed past the two of them, walking quickly towards the main doors.

"Alright, nothing to see, go back to your work... and waiting for people... and... and... whatever you were doing!" Kagome said quickly, waving her hands in the air as she followed Sango in a way that made it seem like she was trying to shoo everyone back to their tasks. Miroku trailed after her, an exasperated expression on his face and his arms crossed along his chest.

"Kagome, what you're doing is not having the outcome you desire."

"Huh?" she asked, freezing mid-wave and looking over her shoulder at him. She glanced around, suddenly realizing that even more people were staring. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red, a color to even rival what Sango's had been earlier, and she dropped her arms to her sides, locking her fingers together behind her back. "Eek!"

"Hey, can we hurry up a bit back there? I'd really like a meal other than hospital food."

Miroku grinned, pulling his keys out from one of the pockets in his jeans and tossing them to Sango.

She caught them almost clumsily, her usual deft reflexes being quite rusty from lack of use.

"Do you two mind if I stop by the Western Lands before dropping you off?" He looked from one girl to the other, gaze resting finally on Sango as she was the one who would have the say in it in the end. "InuYasha had something to do earlier so he couldn't come, but he wanted to get out of the house."

Sango shrugged one shoulder.

"I guess," Kagome replied, glancing over at Sango to make sure that she truly was ok with it. Kagome, of course, was all for stopping to pick up InuYasha, but she would have easily made the sacrifice if her friend seemed too tired.

"Are you sure it's alright with your mom that I stay for a while?" Sango asked, bending her eyebrows together slightly. "I mean... your house isn't that big and-"

"It's fine, Sango. I pulled the trundle out from under my bed so you'll have a place to sleep without bothering anyone."

She smiled, laughter in her magenta eyes. "Like back in school, huh?"

"When you talked about what young men you found irresistibly attractive?" Miroku asked as they walked towards the parking lot.

Sango glanced over at him, eyes squinted against the bright sunlight that she was still to grow accustomed to. "If you mean Kagome gushing on and on about InuYasha, then yes."

"And did you, dear Sango, ever do any gushing of your own?"

"Of course not!"

He simply raised an eyebrow, causing her cheeks to turn a light pink. "I see."

Kagome laughed at her friend's slight distress and looped a friendly arm around her waist. "We'll stop picking on you for now, Sango."

"Yeah, at least until you get your strength back."

"Hn." Her lips pursed together.

"And, if you need it, my lovely Sango, I could even help you while you recover. You know, just the simple things that might require more concentration than you have to offer. Dressing... Showering..." Miroku let out a sigh as he trailed off.

Sango sucked in a sudden breath, eyes widening as she looked over at Kagome in surprise and then back at Miroku. However, she was unable to find anything to say and kept walking.

"Actually, someone was telling me about a very interesting book that had to do with showers. Shower stalls more specifically. Actually, there was an interesting section in it about closets too..."

"Shut up, Miroku!! I'll tell InuYasha that you're corrupting me and he'll kill you!" Kagome yelped, shivering and beginning to walk faster.

"Perhaps I wasn't speaking to you, Kagome. It's not my fault if you happen to be listening as I talk aloud to myself."

"Kagome, I'm sitting in the back."

The blue eyed girls shoulders slumped and she held a breath of air in her cheeks before letting it out swiftly. "Man, the one time I didn't want shotgun."

"There's more than one seat in the back."

"Oh! Right, I forgot." Kagome smiled widely, not at all fazed by the fact that she had pulled such a "blonde" moment.

Sango just bit her tongue and hoisted herself over the door and into the back seat. She buckled the seat belt across her body and set the fan and her sketchbook on the empty middle seat as Miroku unlocked the doors and he and Kagome slid in.

"Sango, Kagome, anything you want to listen to?" he asked, easily starting the car and buckling himself in.

The other girl leaned forward, seat belt straining against her, and lifted a Cd carrying case off of the front seat and onto her lap. Sango looked over, only half interested in what Kagome was looking through. At the moment, she would have been happy listening to her best friend trying to rap while Miroku and InuYasha sung back up as long as she was around them.

"Miroku! This is mine!" Kagome shrieked, pulling a brown Cd out. "I thought I lost it!"

He glanced over at her and the Cd she held as he backed out. "Hm... I didn't think it was mine."

"Can you put it in?"

"Must I?"

"Yes!"

Shrugging a shoulder, he reached back, plucked the Cd from Kagome's grasp and slipped it into the stereo.

"_So, so, so scandalous._"

Sango raised an eyebrow, looking quickly over at her best friend.

"What? It was a big summer hit! Don't look at me like that!"

"Yes, Kagome, whatever you say."

"And if I could dance, it would be really fun to dance to!"

Miroku chuckled, shifting his car up a gear as he exited the parking lot. Kagome leaned forward, shaking her hair back over her shoulder.

"Do you know who was a really good dancer? Kagura."

"How would you know that?"

"She was in a really big musical. Forgot what it was called though... Anyway, she had extra tickets so Sesshoumaru, InuYasha and I went."

"She did have a very attractive figure."

Sango stiffened involuntarily, throwing sharp looks between the two while picking up the red and white fan and placing it on her lap. The other two, unaware of her actions, continued on in their conversation.

"She was really pretty. I got this bad vibe from her though. 'Specially towards the end of their relationship."

"How so?"

"Well, I only really ever saw her when Sesshoumaru would actually go to his father's house, which almost never happened. But she was really jumpy, almost as if she was expecting something to attack her."

"Or maybe someone."

"I dunno. It was really weird. Kinda strange, you know?"

Miroku shrugged a shoulder and casually merged left a lane. "What happened to her?"

"I dunno. I saw her one day and then never saw her again."

Tapping her fingers uneasily along the fan, Sango focused her gaze on the passing scenery. She finally spoke, almost with a forced casualness that, fortunately, the others didn't pick up on between the music and the wind. "How is it that you two know so much about her, but I've never met her?"

"How often have you been to the Western Lands or InuYasha's house?"

She hesitated, trying to remember before laughing it off and shaking her head. "Point taken."

Kagome nodded, flipping through the Cds yet again while her hair whipped behind her. "Yeah, don't be surprised. But you didn't miss out on much. She was kinda... well... not nice."

_That's putting it mildly_, Sango though dryly, glancing over at Kagome and lifting an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"But you would have gotten along with her... Or really hated her."

"Funny how people are often like that," Miroku commented, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

Sango tried to laugh it off as Kagome grinned, but found it near impossible. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back, and allowed the violent wind to whip her bangs away from her face.

"Hey, Miroku, my mom wanted me to invite you and InuYasha for dinner. You up for it?" Kagome asked after a short silence.

"It'll be better than having ramen. Again."

Their voices melted into a low drone, hardly distinguishable from the steady beat of the music as Sango drifted off into a state of semi-consciousness and a voice that she almost recognized spoke to her.

_You're scared, aren't you? Terrified. Well, who wouldn't be? Face it, you have no idea where this all began. You're just a kid, a lost kid that wants to crawl back to her mother and have her fears sung away. All you know is that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. _

_What would have happened if you had stayed at Kagome's that night like she had asked you to? What would have happened if you had trained just a little bit harder, could have moved just a little bit faster? You're the only one who knows what really happened. No matter what you tell the feds when they interview you, they'll still have no idea what it was really like to be there. They don't know your fear, desperation, the pain. Nothing. _

_Your father and Kikyou were supposed to be the last line of defense. So now that they failed, what are you supposed to do? Or, more importantly, what's left for you to do?_

"Sango? Hey, Sango, you awake? We're here."

She opened her eyes slowly, looking from Kagome to InuYasha and finally to Miroku. They had gone all the way to the Western Lands and back to Kagome's house without her waking once?

It was almost funny how tired she was. After all, for the last two months, she'd been asleep more or less.

_What's left for anyone to do?_

She pulled a smile, shaking the voice and dream out of her mind as she unbuckled herself and slid out of the car. "You shoulda woken me. I hate sleeping in cars."

"You were tired," Miroku told her. "Besides, would you rather have fallen asleep halfway through dinner?"

She wrinkled her nose at him, pointedly ignoring his question as she laced her fingers together and stretched her arms up over her head. Her back cracked loudly as she twisted this way and that.

"Sango, don't do that!" Kagome winced, squinting her eyes shut. "It's so gross!"

"Kagome, you made it just in time for dinner!"

The small group looked up at the open living room window and Mrs. Higurashi who stuck her head out and smiled at them all. She waved, beaming an extra big smile at Sango. "It's great to see you again, dear. I called the station for you and you have an interview tomorrow at eleven. Think you can make it?"

Sango nodded, turning her lips up in an automatic smile. "Of course, Mrs. Higurashi."

"Oh, and I also managed to pick up some of your things. Someone at the agency was kind enough to get them for you after the upstairs of your house had been announced as irrelevant to the crime scene."

"Thanks." She smiled briefly, an automatic gesture.

"Hey, Ms. Higurashi, what did you make?" InuYasha asked loudly as they entered through the front door.

"Just a little family recipe. No ramen if that's what you're asking."

His face fell ever so slightly, and his shoulders slumped. Kagome sighed and pushed him towards the dining room.

"Geez, InuYasha, you can have ramen any day of the week."

"I'm actually quite surprised that he can still stand the stuff. It's all he's been eating while at his brother's house and I for one would not be upset if I never saw it again."

"InuYasha's here!! ALRIGHT!" Souta's loud voice could be heard as he ran in from the living room and leaped onto his hero's back.

"Kagome! Get him off me!"

"Souta, Souta dear, I don't think InuYasha apprecia-"

"But mom! I never get to see him!"

The hanyou winced as Kagome's little brother tugged on his hair. "I was over last week!"

"Oh..."

Kagome gave him an apologetic look as she grabbed her brother by the back of his shirt and tried to pull him away. "And if you don't let go, he'll never want to come back!"

He let go instantly, causing Kagome to topple over backwards. Souta, landing on his feet, chuckled nervously and ran to the table, seating himself firmly in a chair and attempting to act like nothing had happened.

Miroku sighed as he took a seat as well, shaking his head.

"What, lecher?"

"Nothing at all, InuYasha."

"Thought so."

Seating herself next to InuYasha in an attempt to keep him distanced from her brother, Kagome looked over in slight surprise when she saw Sango heading up the stairs.

"Hey, Sango, where're you going?"

The magenta-eyed girl tossed a glance over her shoulder at the table and everyone who seemed to be looking at her intently. "I just wanted to change. ...It's summer and I'm wearing sweat pants and, I mean..."

"Oh, yeah, go ahead," Kagome grinned back. "We'll be here."

"Thanks." Taking the stairs two at a time, she headed up to her best friend's room. The trundle was indeed pulled out with fresh sheets and a blanket on it already. Sango wrinkled her nose at the stuffiness of the room and threw one of the windows open. She stuck her upper body out, glancing up and down the street and watching some of the neighborhood kids playing hopscotch a few houses over.

She smiled faintly to herself before glancing around the room for where her clothes might be. A large bag and suitcase, standing up against the wall near the foot of Kagome's bed caught her attention. Opening the suitcase, she discovered the majority of her wardrobe, a considerable feat seeing as she'd never been able to fit everything she needed in only one suitcase when she traveled - although she was a lighter packer than Kagome, fitting everything you could ever need in one bag was a talent only Ayame had.

Setting the fan and her sketchbook down, she pulled out the first things she saw and slipped out of the large t-shirt and baggy pants, gratefully exchanging them for a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Eyeing a brush on the desk beside her, she began running it through the snarls in her hair, closing her eyes as a pain prickled her scalp.

Then, suddenly, for hardly any explicable reason, she froze. Her ears tingled as the hair on the back of her neck rose. The sound of the wind chime the next-door neighbors had hanging on their porch rang amplified in the light breeze.

Setting the brush down, she turned around very slowly, breath coming in deep, steady inhales and exhales.

Standing almost serenely with her back to the open window and the beads in her hair fluttering in the wind stood the very last person Sango ever wanted to see again and it made the blood in her veins pump through her body like ice.

"Well hello, Taijiya."


End file.
